"Could I climb the highest place in Athens, I would lift my voice and proclaim, 'Fellow citizens! Why do you turn and scrape every stone to gather wealth, and take so little care of your children, to whom one day you must relinquish it all?'" ~ Socrates
An old friend Julie recently reconnected with me through the world of blogging. It's always a special joy to pick up with someone in this way, especially during this season of life when there is not as much time for actually visiting with real live people in person! :) The quote above is from her, and I find it worthy of prolonged thought.
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3 comments:
I whole-heartedly agree with Julie's quote---and find this one has similar sentiment. It is from a book by Mary Farrar, entitled, "Choices." This was one of the first books that awakened me to the huge affect that feminism had made on our culture, and that even we as Christian women have been greatly influenced.
Here is the excerpt:
FROZEN IN TIME
When Pompeii was being excavated, a woman's body was uncovered that had been embalmed by the ashes of Vesuvius. Her feet were turned toward the city gate and safety. But her face was looking behind her and her hands were reaching back for something that lay just beyond her grasp.
What was she searching for?
Only inches from her fingers...was a bag of pearls. Perhaps she had dropped them as she was fleeing for her life. Or perhaps they had been dropped by another. Whatever the cause, though death was at her heels and life was beckoning at the city gates, she foolishly looked back to pick them up, and her fatal choice became frozen in time.
It's the same for us. Whether we realize it or not, the critical choices we make in times of crisis can become matters of life and death. Although men are the key to revival, woman are no less important. In fact, our role is absolutely pivotal. I believe the choices of women over the next ten years will profoundly impact the course of our nation.
Recently a great deal of fuss has been made over the accomplishments of women. But whether they call this the Year of the Woman, the Decade of the Woman, or even the Century of the Woman, what difference will it make if all we leave behind is nothing more than the woman of Pompeii?
I submit to you there is nothing more important than our homes, our marriages, and our children. Nothing. There is not one ministry or job or accomplishment or calling that is more important. And certainly not one safety deposit box--no matter what it contains!
What profit is it if we have all the money in the world, yet raise our children in emotional bankruptcy?
What meaning is there in finding fame if our own spouse and children wish they had never heard our name?
What do we gain if we minister to thousands but lose our marriages and families?
If we build empires, yet in doing so destroy our homes, we will find ourselves alone, clutching a worthless bag of pearls.
This story touched my heart when I first read it and has stuck with me all these years.
Come and visit me at my blog-
http://steppingheavenwardeachday.blogspot.com/ - and be encouraged to serve and minister to your families ;-)
Valerie, THANKS for sharing that story. What a powerful image!
And I'm thrilled that you have a blog now!!! Actually, now that I check out your blog, I realize you've had it for a little while...and I never knew! Well, now I DO know, and I will eagerly read your writings there!!! :)
You're so right. That quote is ... well, there are no words. But it has me thinking. A lot.
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